This Lich is a Better Landlord Chapter 29

"How much gold can you offer?"

When Ambrose asked this question, not only was Naomi stunned, but even the hag was surprised by how smoothly things were going. She froze for a moment before snapping back to reality.

The hag said excitedly, "You want money? Good! I can give you five thousand gold!"

Naomi's heart tightened. Would this lich violate their contract for five thousand gold?

Probably not, right? After all, they had agreed on ten thousand gold. The druids were offering more.

As expected, Ambrose didn't agree. However, he said to the hag, "Only five thousand? That's not enough. The druids offered me fifty thousand."

Naomi: ...

Her earlier self-reassurance had just been rendered completely meaningless. This lich was the type to just say whatever came to mind!

The hag was also taken aback. Fifty thousand gold was an outrageous price. Even if you killed all these druids and sold them off, flesh, hide, and all, they wouldn't be worth fifty thousand.

"Heh heh heh, you lich, you're a better liar than a hag. I won't waste any more time with you. The most I can give you is twenty thousand gold. That's my final offer. Do we have a deal?!"

The hag's offer once again sent Naomi's heart racing. It was double her price.

Given this lich's character, he might actually agree.

As if to confirm Naomi's fears, Ambrose suddenly turned, the staff in his hand swinging toward her.

Before Naomi could react, she felt the Statue of Silvanus being snatched from her hands.

Looking closely, she saw a glowing, disembodied hand floating in mid-air.

Mage Hand, a basic spell like Ray of Frost that almost everyone knew. But casting it with the speed Ambrose had just displayed was not so easy.

Naomi, lacking experience, never expected Ambrose to turn on her faster than one could flip a page. The moment the statue was taken, his next spell landed on her.

Crimson light formed a massive cage around Naomi, trapping her inside. The young druid found she couldn't even move a finger.

Hold Person, a relatively high-level spell with special efficacy against humanoid creatures. Until the spell's effect ended, Naomi would remain in this helpless state, at the mercy of others.

Having done this, Ambrose turned back towards the hag. "One hand gives the money, the other gets the person. Oh, and I'm keeping the Statue of Silvanus."

The hag let out a cackling laugh. A mutated rat emerged from the darkness with a small pouch on its back—clearly another bag of holding.

Ambrose cautiously controlled the Mage Hand to grab the pouch. After repeatedly checking it for magical traps, he opened it to inspect the contents.

Soon, Ambrose frowned. "Why is it only eighteen thousand and some change?"

The hag said angrily, "This bag of holding is worth at least three or four thousand gold! You have the nerve to haggle with me over two thousand?!"

But Ambrose replied, "Fine, I'll take the hit. Call it a discount for you."

The hag was so furious she could have died. This lich was truly shameless when it came to money. If she weren't outmatched, she would have torn him apart and made him into a toilet.

The druids trapped in the illusion witnessed the transaction between the hag and Ambrose clearly. The dark-skinned druid, Van Jones, saw Naomi immobilized by Ambrose's spell and clenched his fists so hard they cracked.

Unfortunately, Van Jones was powerless. He could only pray in his heart, "The undead are truly despicable, evil creatures! Silvanus above, I beg you to save your faithful!"

However, the god seemed to pay no mind to the prayers of a few humble druids. Ambrose and the hag stood there perfectly fine, with not a hint of divine punishment.

But after stowing the pouch, Ambrose didn't rush to hand over Naomi. Instead, he slowly inquired, "The City of Alchemy has been quite lively recently. Paladins from the Ryan Empire in the sewers, druids in the sewers, and even a hag like you in the sewers... What are you all here for? What's so special about this dump?"

The hag replied casually, "You don't know? With your power, you must be a big shot among the undead. Haven't you heard the prophecy? The sewers of the City of Alchemy hold a divine secret. Whoever finds it can ascend to godhood."

"Ha?"

Ambrose sounded as if he had heard the world's greatest joke. Ascend to godhood in this dump?

Hearing the disdain in Ambrose's tone, the hag said with some annoyance, "You think it's false?"

Ambrose didn't answer, instead changing the subject. "Then have you found any clues about this ascension to godhood?"

The hag sneered. "Even if I had, would I tell you? And even if I told you, would you believe me?"

Ambrose nodded. "Fair point. Then it seems there's nothing more to ask."

Hearing this, the hag suddenly felt something was wrong. An intense sense of crisis made her body go rigid.

She was shrouded in darkness, and she had already prepared a teleportation spell. If there was one thing hags excelled at, it was escaping. Otherwise, how could such wantonly cruel monsters survive for so long?

Though she didn't know where the danger was coming from, the hag decisively chose to flee.

The teleportation spell was ready; all it took was a thought to cast it. The spell would randomly teleport her several hundred meters away. In the complex terrain of the sewer, even a ten-meter teleport could place several walls between them, more than enough for a clean getaway.

However, upon casting the spell, the hag was shocked to find herself appearing right in front of Ambrose, less than ten meters away.

"How is that possible!"

A random location within a several-hundred-meter radius, and it just had to be right in front of her enemy?

The hag was startled but immediately cast a second teleportation spell. Her mastery of teleportation was unparalleled; she could cast it consecutively with almost no delay.

Yet, this second teleport left the hag even more stunned. This time, she had blinked in place, moving less than a meter.

Ambrose hovered silently before her, watching as the hag frantically teleported like she was having a seizure, but the result was the same every time.

The hag said in shock, "A spell that alters outcomes... you... you're a diviner?!"

Ambrose said approvingly, "Impressive. Someone still remembers the School of Divination. I thought it had been lost to the river of time."

The hag knew she was in deep trouble. With her teleportation rendered useless, she couldn't escape. The only option left was to fight for her life.

Just as the hag was about to cast an offensive spell at Ambrose, the magical light from his staff had already landed on her.

The next second, as if struck by something, she began to laugh uncontrollably.

The laughter was hideous, but the hag couldn't stop.

In just a few seconds, the hag was laughing so hard she bent over, coughing, her lungs and throat feeling raw with blood. Eventually, she couldn't even stand, collapsing onto the filthy ground, rolling in hysterics.

Tasha's Hideous Laughter, a very common control spell. Once hit, the target falls into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, unable to perform any other action.

And as Ambrose cast the spell on the hag, the light of the Hold Person spell on Naomi also dissipated.

Ambrose turned to the bewildered Naomi and said, "Alright, the hag is under my control. Your people should be safe now."

Naomi stared blankly at Ambrose, unable to tell what was real and what was fake anymore.

"What are you spacing out for? Did you really think I would break our agreement?" Ambrose explained.

"But... you took her gold, and I haven't paid you yet..." Naomi said in a small voice.

Ambrose said smugly, "Hahaha, you think I couldn't have gotten this gold if she didn't pay? Naive little girl. If I killed the hag, the gold would be mine anyway. I was just pumping her for information, trying to find out the secret of these sewers."

Naomi felt as if her entire worldview had been violently shaken in a matter of moments. This world was too terrifying. She wanted to go back to her tribe.